About TBHI

Welcome to Tiny Beating Hearts Initiative.

“Preterm birth is the leading cause of newborn deaths (babies in the first four weeks of life) and the second leading cause of death after pneumonia in children under five years.” World Health Organisation.

One of the predisposing factors for prematurity is previous pregnancy history. If you have had one or more miscarriages in the past, chances are high for another miscarriage or preterm delivery.

Some women feel really helpless and almost too scared to carry another pregnancy after repeated failed attempts.

At TBHI, we care as much for mums and dads as we do for preemies. More than that, we care for women with high-risk pregnancies – from conception through post-natal. With our team of volunteer professionals, we will give you practical advice and solutions to help you carry your pregnancy to term and a safe delivery.

According to statistics, approximately 60% of birth in Nigeria takes place at home, and the proportion is as high as 89% in the North West part of Nigeria and 82% in the North east part of Nigeria. TBHI is thinking of those babies born preterm at home and at the hospitals respectively and what level of knowledge we all have of how to take care of preemies in situation like that. Awareness and Health Education towards preterm prevention, preparation and care becomes the number one and only option to better inform, prepare and educate expecting mothers and all adults of reproductive age.
Situation analysisAccording to World Health Organisation WHO fact sheet No 363, updated November 2013; Key facts:
• Every year, an estimated 15 million babies are birth preterm (before 37 complete weeks of gestation), and this number is rising.
• Over 1 million babies die annually from preterm birth complications.
• Preterm birth is the leading cause of new born deaths (babies in the first 4 weeks of life) and the second leading cause of death after pneumonia in children under five years.
• Three-quarters of them could be saved with current, cost effective interventions, even without intensive care facilities.
• Across 184 countries, the rate of preterm birth ranges from 5% to 18% of babies born.

Where and when does preterm birth happen?
Over 60% of preterm birth occurs in Africa and South Asia, but preterm birth is truly a global problem. In the lower-income countries, on average, 12% of babies are born too soon compared with 9% in higher-income countries. Within countries, poorer families are at higher risk.
The 10 countries with the highest rates of preterm births:
• India: 3, 519, 100
• China: 1, 172, 300
• Nigeria: 773,600
• Pakistan: 748, 100
• Indonesia: 675, 700
• The USA: 517, 400
• Bangladesh: 424, 100
• The Philippines: 348, 900
• The DRC: 341, 400
• Brazil: 279, 300
From the above statistics, Nigeria has remained third for a very long time and to know that simple and effective activities like awareness and health education can go a long way to reducing the rate of preterm births in Nigeria has been the sole reason for this project and campaign. So awareness and education is the key to prevent, prepare and care for preemies.
In our Awareness and Health Education campaigns, our goal is to hammer on two major aspects or strategies, which are; prevention and care.
Prevention focuses on Health Education and Awareness for expecting moms and adults of reproductive ages during ante-natal and family planning, While, care focuses on support to preemies and families of preemies.

This does not mean we do not care for other infants and children. At TBHI, we believe every beating heart counts, therefore we are committed to working with stakeholders for improved health system – public and curative- for infants and children.

We have done it before; we shall continue to our best to reduce neonatal, and ultimately maternal, mortality in Nigeria. You can be a part of us too.